PC and Music News

Platinum Piano Ballads is an inspired collection of 150 piano loops, patterns and progressions between 69 and 120Bpm making it suitable for Pop, R&B, Trip Hop, Deep Ambient and many other genres. With twenty different, multi-layered track selections, each one in a different key and tempo, providing you with endless harmonic options and plenty of inspiration. The thoughtfully selected soundscapes in each track selection range from harpsichord, classical grand and earthy electric pianos all the way to synthesized piano sounds.

All of the 350Mb of sounds and loops in "Platinum Piano Ballads" come beautifully composed, arranged and mastered to 24Bit and are 100% royalty free. If you are searching for the keys to true piano ballad success, this exclusively produced pack will most definitely provide them for you!

Formats include: .WAV, FL Studio, Akai MPC, Ableton Live Pack, Apple Loops, Acid Loops, Garageband...

LouderLogic is the only audio player featuring Audio Level eXtension (ALX) technology by McDSP, eliminating unwanted volume fluctuations between songs and helping listeners hear the quiet parts of their music, books, and podcasts, even in noisy environments. Great for listening in the car, train, or airplane, and for keeping all your music at just the right volume.

McDSP has been improving audio for major motion pictures, music productions, and live performances worldwide for over a decade. Now you can put some of the same advanced patent pending audio algorithms into your iPhone and iPad!
LouderLogic features include:
- Automatically minimizes volume variations in existing audio library using ALX technology
- Improves audio fidelity and listening enjoyment, even in noisy environments
- Sleek interface for browsing by playlist, album, artist, etc.
- Two ALX modes for music and audiobooks/podcasts, with automatic mode switching
- Realtime ALX metering shows amount of audio level extension
- Multitasking support for playing audio in the background

PreSonus has released FireControl 2626, a stand-alone application that provides Mac OS X 10.7 Lion compatibility for the original FireStudio (26x26) audio/MIDI interface. With this release, all FireStudio-series interfaces, including discontinued models, are compatible with OS X Lion.

FireControl 2626 is exclusively for the FireStudio (26x26) and OS X Lion; FireStudio users who are running earlier versions of Mac OS X or who are using Microsoft Windows do not need and should not install this release. Users of all other FireStudio-series interfaces and users of StudioLive-series mixers should update to the recently released PreSonus Universal Control 1.5.2, which provides Lion compatibility and other enhancements for those products.

Last year's Toontrack Metal Month went down a storm and it's back again for 2011 sounding more fierce and ferocious than ever before with eight new metal-related products. To kick things off, Toontrack have released a brand new EZX expansion pack 'Metal Machine'.

Metal Machine bears the unmistakable seal of British producer/engineer Andy Sneap who has worked with the likes of Testament, Megadeth, Arch Enemy, Exodus and Devildriver and has had an instrumental role in shaping the sound of metal music as we know it in the new millennium.

the Metal Machine EZX lacks none of the metal traits you'd expect: the thunderous bass-drums, the ferocious in-your-face snares and the toms that will cut through your mixes with a crystal clear tone to die for.
Requires EZdrummer or Superior Drummer
Available now as a download or boxed product
RRP: £54.95 / €65.95

Fostex Releases AR-4i Audio Interface Dock and App for Apple iPhone 4 AR-4i is an audio interface for iPhone4 dock connector. The high quality stereo microphone inputs with AD converter improve the audio quality of iPhone4's video recording, video streaming via Ustream, LiveStream etc. as well as recording of live performance and ENG.

Main Features
- 3 microphone inputs with plug-in power for vertical or horizontal use.
- Input level control and EQ can be done using the dedicated App.
- 2 x cardioid plug-in microphones come as standard.
- Third-party microphones can be used.
- LED Level Meter for input level monitoring,
- Microphone gain control.
- Headphone jack for input monitoring.
- 2 x AAA batteries for more than 10 hours operation.
- External power can be fed via USB. •Ergonomic design for secure holding.
- Screw hole provided for optional camera gears such as tripod, grip etc.

Analog Experience THE LABORATORY 61 is a 61-note MIDI keyboard with velocity and aftertouch-sensitive keys that is designed to easily integrate into any studio and stage environment.

Packaged with the Analog Laboratory software, it also offers straightforward control over 3500 of the world's finest analog sounds, 330 drum loops and 200 scenes. As a matter of fact, the workflow is the same as on a traditional hardware synthesizer, but at better value and with better integration in the studio environment.
Price: 499$